Marble games have been played for many years in a scheme wherein the players present marbles from their personally owned collection into an appointed target area. The various players take turns in knocking the marbles out by the means of shooter marbles which they project into the target area. The objective of some marble games As to capture and win the possession and ownership of as many marbles as possible from those presented to the game from various players. Thus, the winner not only wins by numerically taking possession of the most marbles, but also becomes the possessor and owner of the marbles.
Marbles may be made of any materials but are usually glass, although sometimes marbles are steel. The playing surface for marble games is usually a relatively flat surface, the composition of which may be a dry material such as compacted earth, textured carpeting, or artificial carpet grass upon which the marbles will roll. The surface should have some texture so that the marbles come to a stop by gravity and friction in a short space.
In the past, the surfaces upon which the game of marbles is played is irregular. As was stated previously, the game of marbles can be played on carpeting, on grass, on concrete, or on various other surfaces. In many circumstances, the marbles are quickly lost in the environment in which the marble game is played. Ideally, it is preferable to play the game in an area in which the marbles can be retained after the shooting of the marbles. Additionally, the texture upon which the game is played can greatly affect the uniformity of results. As such, a uniform texture, as closely resembling the earth as possible, is desired.
In the past, various patents have issued relating to playing surfaces for the game of marbles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,636,740, issued on Apr. 28, 1953, to O. C. McNeal describes a device for the playing of a game of marbles. In this device, a marble-playing table of wood, fiberboard, hard plastic, or other rigid material is provided. The board is circular and is supported by a plurality of relatively short supporting blocks or legs secured to the underside of the table. A marble-deflecting shield of shock-absorbent material is connected to the table. This provides an annular trough for retrieving marbles shot from the table. The shield is a wide band of soft, flexible fabric having opposite or inner and outer edges hemmed over bands of elastic or yieldingly expansible material. This device provides a suitable cover which can be applied to the table so as to simulate, as nearly as possible, the usual surface conditions under which marbles are played outdoors.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,858, issued on Jul. 5, 1960, to F. W. Slater describes a ring-like device for the playing of marbles. This device includes a circular flat base made of a suitable plastic that retains a flat shape when extended, but is of a type that can be rolled up or folded. A raised portion, in the form of a hollow tube, is connected to the periphery of the flat base. This tube forms a retaining wall for the marbles whereby they cannot be scattered all over the area adjacent to which the game is played. A circular piece of material is bonded to the top surface of the base so as to form the marble court. This material may be of felt or sponge rubber suitably bonded to the base or it may be formed by spraying plastic onto the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,760, issued on Aug. 24, 1982, to J. J. Kovach describes an educational marble game in which the players project marbles on a textured game board carpet on which indicia are presented having unnamed geographical significance. In this game, the players project marbles onto surfaces of the game board so as to learn geographical facts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,928, issued on Dec. 1, 1987, to W. P. Willingham describes a circular game board foldable into thirds for storage. This game board comprises a circular playing surface bounded by a generally tubular member affixed around the periphery of the playing surface. An elongate spring-like member is disposed in the tubular member. An appropriate device is used for securing the ends of the spring-like member together so as to create an endless ring. This ring serves to keep the playing surface taut.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,708,318, issued on Apr. 9, 1929, to M. Melen describes a game table surface which is of a generally rectangular configuration having cutout rectangular corners.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a marble mat that can be used to play the game of marbles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a marble mat that effectively simulates the playing of the game of marbles on the earth.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a marble mat that can retain the marbles during the game.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a marble mat which can be assembled and disassembled for play and for storage.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a marble mat which provides a support surface for the shooter's hand.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a marble mat that is easy to use, easy to manufacture, and relatively inexpensive.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.